#tellusatoday: Some gun deaths forgotten

Jan. 6, 2013
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Eighteen-year old Samantha Boyd, left, and 19-year-old Marcell Carter visit a memorial to their friend, 16-year-old Jeffrey Stewart in the playground where Stewart collapsed after being shot on December 9, in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago's West Side. / Scott Olson, Getty Images

by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

Why do the deaths of 20 schoolchildren in Connecticut gain more attention than the deaths of 260 children killed in Chicago over a three-year period? Comments from Twitter and Facebook edited for clarity and grammar.

Every day in American cities, innocent men, women and children are killed. Many of the deaths involve gang wars with illegal weapons. The police have their hands full fighting crime. Why do the president and his administration fail to focus on these problems? The answer is simple: The people are poor, and you can't get campaign contributions from poor people.

-Ron Williams

Because all the urban kids get lumped in as thugs and they're in Chicago. #SadTruth

-@TJFutureCPA

Chicago's issues are more complex than Newtown's. Politicians are allergic to complicated issues and solutions.

-@pgauctioneer

America has become desensitized. It takes 20 at once to get our attention. Sad!

-@kathielee65

Chicago's government hasn't stopped the killing. It's becoming a lost cause for residents and the U.S. To deal, the violence is ignored. Kids should be safe in urban environments, too. The "that's unfortunate" attitude is contributing to the problem.

-@aCapitolCrisis

The problems are related to race, the area and the fact that no one cared enough to report it. We need to reach out!